Millions of pounds paid to Wealden District Council by developers to help provide infrastructure is set to be spent on sports and health facilities.

The council is recommending £9 million of Community Infrastructure Levy it has received be spent on projects including a new Community Sports Hub on the outskirts of Hailsham, a new training pool at Crowborough and a new indoor leisure centre and integrated healthcare facilities in Hailsham town centre.

Community Infrastructure Levy – known as CIL – is a charge that local authorities can set on new developments to raise money to help fund a wide range of infrastructure including roads and transport, flood defences, schools and educational facilities, medical and social care facilities, district heating systems, sporting, recreational or cultural facilities needed to support development of areas.

The details of the funding for sports and health facilities has been revealed in Wealden council’s annual Infrastructure Funding Statement.

Councillor Ann Newton said, “The council’s current evidence base for both indoor/ built sports facilities and playing pitch and outdoor sports needs outlines that areas of the district, including Hailsham, have deficits in such facilities.

“We are currently bringing forward plans to deliver a new Community Sports Hub on council owned land at Knights Farm East near Hellingly; carrying out improvements at Crowborough Leisure Centre including providing an additional teaching pool; and delivering a new indoor leisure centre and integrated healthcare facilities in Hailsham town centre as art of the Hailsham Aspires project.

“Given the projects due to get underway in Hailsham, Crowborough and Hellingly and in order to ensure that these projects can proceed without unnecessary delay and in line with the budget projections built into the council’s medium term financial strategy, it is recommended that an initial £9 million be allocated to these projects.”

In addition, £4million has been allocated to highways improvement projects in south Wealden and tens of thousands of pounds provided for Suitable Alternative Green Space (SANGs) projects - such as Walshes Park in Crowborough - and Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Strategy (SAMMS) schemes.

More than £750,000 has also been passed to parish and town councils to fund the provision, improvement, replacement, operation or maintenance of infrastructure; or anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area.

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